Thursday, May 30, 2013

Many times the General Assembly of
the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has voiced concern about the need for change
in our nation’s immigration policy. The General Assembly has called for changes
that will meet the needs of our country and our families. The need for reform
is rooted in our rediscovery of ourselves as the church of the stranger, the
biblical mandate to welcome and love immigrants, and the need to alleviate the
suffering created by an unjust system.

While recognizing the right and
responsibility of U.S. to maintain our country’s borders, the General Assembly
has expressed concern about the militarization of our nation’s southern border
and the human toll of a policy that focuses primarily on enforcement. Further,
the General Assembly has lifted up civil and human rights violations in the
border and internal enforcement policies of the United States. The General
Assembly has stated that enforcement policies should comport with notions of
due process and aim to reduce human smuggling and migrant deaths. Click here to read our earlier post on the most current General Assembly Immigration policy.

In November 2012 eight Senators,
four democrats and four republicans, began work on comprehensive immigration
reform to modernize our nation’s immigration policy. Known as “The Gang of 8,”
the Senators introduced legislation in April 2013, Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration
Modernization Act (S.B. 744), and that
legislation has gone through an amendment process in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
It will be debated in the full Senate in June 2013.

Below is an outline of major
provisions of the legislation and how it fits in with General Assembly policy.

A pathway to citizenship for people already working and living in the
U.S.

Individuals in the U.S. without
authorization would be able to apply for Registered Provisional Immigrant (RPI)
status, which if eligible and granted, would give people authorization to work
and remain in the country. After 10 years in RPI status, these individuals
could apply for lawful permanent residence status (LPR). After three years in
LPR status they could apply for citizenship.

This process is accompanied by
“triggers.” No one could apply for RPI status until a border enforcement and
maintenance plan is created and implemented. No person in RPI status could
apply for LPR status until all people in the “back logs” have received their
“green card.”

Individuals applying for status
under this plan would pay a fine, learn English and Civics, and have to prove
fulfillment of tax obligations.

There are numerous other
provisions and eligibility requirements too detailed for this handout, see
below for additional information.

The DREAM Act

This provision would offer a
shorter pathway to citizenship and an exemption to penalty fines to people
brought to the U.S. as children.

DREAMers would have to fulfill
requirements related to education or military service to remain eligible under
this provision

Some positive family immigration changes

Spouses and minor children of LPR
are re-classified as immediate relatives so they can immediately be reunited as
opposed to waiting 2-7 years under current law.

Reduction in backlogs

Recapturing unused visas from
prior years

Increasing per country caps from
7% to 15%

Integration of new immigrants

Creates a Task Force on New
Americans

Renames and expands the duties of
the Office of Citizenship to help immigrants integrate

Establishes a foundation to
provide resources to programs assisting New Americans

Future Flow

Creates new avenues to lawfully
enter the U.S. for individuals who may not have options under current law

Use of unemployment data to
increase/decrease non-immigrant visas according to needs of economy and
employers

There are many other provisions of the legislation that are in-line
with General Assembly policy, including: improvements to detention standards,
better treatment for adopted and stepchildren in the immigration process,
improvements to the refugee/asylee program, and investments in the immigration
court system.

Even though the legislation is
in-line with the General Assembly policy, overall, there are some changes needed.
The office of Immigration Issues will work in partnership with our interfaith partners
to improve the legislation.

The cut off date of January 1,
2012 for U.S. presence for gaining status

Lengthy process Ten years in RPI
status plus three in LPR for citizenship

Family unity changes: elimination
of category V – siblings of USC and caps adult children to under 31

Continued build up at the border
in the form of agents, fence, and use of drones

SB 744 will head to the full Senate for debate in June 2013.
Presbyterians are urged to contact their Senators and encourage them to support
comprehensive immigration reform that has a pathway to citizenship, eliminates
back logs, provides a commonsense plan for future flow, avoids the
militarization of our southern border, and provides for humane enforcement.

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has
affirmed the right of congregations, presbyteries, and the denomination as a
whole, to speak out clearly and constantly to the media and others regarding
our call to serve all those in need and to stand with the oppressed. (217th
General Assembly 2006). If you have questions about how to share your faith in
the public square, please see the resources below.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform Tool Kit from the office of
Immigration Issues website to learn how to involve your community in the
movement to seek justice for aspiring Americans. Available in English and
Spanish.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

From our partners at the National Council of Churches:Bristol Bay, Alaska is home
to the world's largest wild sockeye salmon fishery, which has supported the
subsistence livelihoods of the Bay’s Native Alaskans for thousands of years. This
stunning piece of Creation is now under threat from a proposed open pit mine
that would destroy the salmon habitat and cause irreversible damage to God’s
Earth and God’s people.

We stand with the Native
Alaskans and commercial fisherman who depend on the health of Bristol Bay’s
fishery, and ask the EPA to use the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay from
the irreparable harm the proposed mine would cause God’s people and Creation in
and around the Bay. Click
here to send your message to the EPA asking them to permanently protect the
world’s largest wild sockeye salmon fishery, 14,000 American jobs, and a Native
way of living that is thousands of years old. Thanks to
Katherine Carscallen for the photo of Father Yako from Chignik Lake.

Before Senators go on break for the Memorial Day recess, immigrant
families and faith leaders visited key Senators’ offices to deliver collections
of photos and personal stories of how families have been separated and affected
by our immigration system. This comes after Tuesday’s bipartisan vote of 13-5
in the Senate Judiciary Committee to pass the Senate’s immigration bill unto
the full Senate floor. During the almost two weeks of mark-up, the Senate
Judiciary Committee considered more than 200 amendments. Now, the bill will be
sent to the full floor for more debate and a final vote. The collection of
personal stories were delivered as a way to keep Senators connected to some of
the families that will be directly impacted by their decisions and to remind
them that immigration reform is necessary.

During the amendment process, the interfaith community made more than
3,000 calls to the Senate Judiciary Committee members. Our voices made a big
difference in gaining modest improvements to the bill and in defeating some of
the worst amendments. Positive amendments that were won will help immigrants in
detention by restricting the use of solitary confinement, Violence Against Women
Act recipients and children. They will also prohibit dangerous deportations,
discourage racial profiling and will restrict immigration enforcement actions
near schools, hospitals, victims’ services locations and places of worship. Individuals
will also be allowed to pay fines in installments thus somewhat lessening the
burden of the high penalties and fees required for legalization.

Starting next week, Senators will be at home for a short recess. When
the bill is introduced to the full Senate floor in early June, Senators will
have an opportunity to introduce new amendments. We need to be ready and
willing to continue to powerfully advocate for laws that reflect our values and the PC (U.S.A)'s General Assembly priorities. We are all children of God, members of one people and we must love and welcome each other and strive to live in peace, in justice, and in love. If you’d like to visit with your Senators and
Representative during their recess to speak to them about immigration reform check out the resources provided by the
Interfaith Immigration Coalition for ideas on how to do so.

About Me

The Presbyterian Office of Public Witness is the public policy information and advocacy office of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Its task is to advocate, and help the church to advocate, the social witness perspectives and policies of the Presbyterian General Assembly. The church has a long history of applying these biblically and theologically-based insights to issues that affect the public — maintaining a public policy ministry in the nation's capital since 1946.
Reformed theology teaches that because a sovereign God is at work in all the world, the church and Christian citizens should be concerned about public policy. In addition, Presbyterian forefather John Calvin wrote, "Civil magistry is a calling not only holy and legitimate, but by far the most sacred and honorable in human life."